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Wolverine honored to be picked by Cincy

Wolverine honored to be picked by Cincy

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By Matt Brown
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MLB.com |

CINCINNATI -- The Reds told Ryan LaMarre they were aiming for him in the second round, yet the center fielder held out hope that someone would call his name in the first 50 selections of the First-Year Player Draft.

The call never came, but one day later, the Reds got what they wanted when LaMarre slipped to pick No. 62 overall in Tuesday's second round.

"It's a pretty tremendous relief," LaMarre said. "After all the buildup yesterday when I kind of thought I'd go in the first 50 picks, the chance to be a Red is a great honor."

Of course, one big adjustment will have to be made for the center fielder from the University of Michigan: playing in Buckeye territory.

"Actually, when I was talking to some of my buddies, I said hopefully I can get used to playing in Ohio," LaMarre said with a laugh. "It's not in Columbus, though."

Although LaMarre has one year of eligibility remaining at Michigan, he said he's ready to sign with the Reds and start on his road to the Majors.

It's a road that got jump-started a year ago when he spent his summer playing in the acclaimed Cape Cod Baseball League. He said the experience was crucial in helping him develop the skills necessary to play at the next level.

"It was unbelievable," LaMarre said. "I'd always pretty much played baseball on my athleticism. I had the fundamentals, but no one really had explained the game to me. Last summer, my coaches did a great job with that and helped me with my swing and approach at the plate."

LaMarre missed 18 games early in the 2010 season because of a broken thumb. However, he bounced back and earned his second All-Big Ten selection, and he led the Wolverines with a .419 average, .649 slugging percentage and .453 on-base percentage.

After a big junior season, he thinks he has the ability to become a five-tool player, with an emphasis on his power and speed.

"We've seen him play extensively through his three years at Michigan," Reds senior director of scouting Chris Buckley said. "We've seen him each spring, each summer, last summer we saw him at the Cape. We were very happy he was up there at 62 -- a center fielder, very good tools, outstanding runner. We were happy to get him."

Round 2, 62nd overall, CF Ryan LaMarre: A two-time All-Big Ten outfielder in three seasons at Michigan, LaMarre led the Wolverines with a .419 average, .649 slugging percentage and .453 on-base percentage, although he missed 18 games because of a broken thumb. He spent the summer of 2009 playing in the wooden bat Cape Cod League.

Round 3, 94th overall, SS Devin Lohman: Drafted in the 42nd round by the Rockies coming out of high school in 2007, Lohman opted to attend Long Beach State. He led the 49ers with a .404 average and .550 slugging percentage as a junior and is known as a contact hitter.

Round 4, 127th overall, CF Brodie Greene: Greene was the leading hitter on a Texas A&M team eliminated from the NCAA tournament Tuesday. Entering Tuesday, he had 14 home runs and 55 RBIs in 64 games. He hit a walk-off home run to win the Big 12 tournament championship May 30.

Round 5, 157th overall, RHP Wes Mugarian: Mugarian is a product of Pensacola Catholic High School in Florida and has signed to pitch for the University of Alabama. According to the Pensacola News Journal, Mugarian finished his high school career with a 26-1 record, a 1.19 ERA and 352 strikeouts.

Round 6, 187th overall, RHP Drew Cisco: Cisco is the grandson of former Major League pitcher and pitching coach Galen Cisco, as well as the brother of current Phillies Double-A prospect Mike Cisco. The Wando High School (S.C.) prospect committed to the University of Georgia, but he expects to sign with the Reds.

Round 7, 217th overall, RHP Jose Amezcua: The 6-foot, 175-pound pitcher is from Bellflower High School in California.

Round 8, 247th overall, 3B David Vidal: Vidal batted .401 with 14 home runs in 42 games for Miami Dade Community College in Florida.

Round 9, 277th overall, LHP Tanner Robles: A 2008 14th-round selection by the Angels, Robles played three years at Oregon State University. The left-hander went 5-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 2010.

Round 10, 307th overall, RHP Kevin Arico: Arico is still serving as the closer for a Virginia team that remains alive in the NCAA tournament. He's saved 17 games and has a 2.59 ERA in 27 appearances.

Round 11, 337th overall, RHP Andrew Hayes: Hayes has started five games and appeared in 18 others for a Vanderbilt club still playing in the NCAA tournament. In those 23 games, Hayes is 6-0 with a 4.25 ERA and 46 strikeouts.

Round 12, 367th overall, CF Kyle Waldrop: A 6-foot-3 center fielder from Riverdale High School in Florida, Waldrop has signed to play at the University of South Florida. He's a left-handed hitter with the potential to develop power.

Round 13, 397th overall, RHP Lucas O'Rear: O'Rear is one of the more unique selections, as the 6-foot-7 pitcher played basketball for the Northern Iowa team that upset Kansas in the NCAA tournament in March. He pitched for the Panthers before they folded their baseball program, and he still has one year of basketball eligibility remaining.

Round 14, 427th overall, RHP Daniel Wolford: Wolford started his college career at Long Beach State before transferring to Cal. He made 18 relief appearances this season, compiling a 1-1 record with a 6.26 ERA.

Round 15, 457th overall, LHP Stephen Hunt: Hunt made just one appearance as a pitcher for South Florida in 2010 but batted .307 as an outfielder. He was previously selected in the 17th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft by Oakland and appeared in 31 games as a pitcher in his first two years of college ball.

Round 16, 487th overall, C Robert Kral: Kral started 59 of 61 games for College of Charleston this season, batting .344, hitting 15 home runs and driving in 57 runs. He did not play in his first season on campus and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Round 17, 517th overall, SS Brent Peterson: The 6-foot, 180-pound Peterson played high school ball at Liberty High School in California and bats left handed.

Round 18, 547th overall, LF Robert Maddox: An in-state product, Maddox is from Euclid, Ohio, and has played three years at Ohio University. He was drafted by Atlanta in the 34th round of the 2007 Draft. He led the Mid-American Conference in home runs (21) and slugging percentage (.737) this season.

Round 19, 577th overall, CF Joshua Alexander: The 6-foot-2 Alexander bats right-handed and was drafted out of Mountain Pointe High School in Arizona.

Round 20, 607th overall, C Chris Berset: The second of two University of Michigan products taken by the Reds, Berset is a Virginia native and served as a co-captain for the Wolverines this season. He led the team with 81 hits and batted .373.

Round 21, 637th overall, RHP Joshua Smith: Smith was a first-team All-Atlantic Sun pitcher for Lipscomb University. He went 8-4 with a 4.66 ERA and struck out 124 batters in 104 1/3 innings this season.

Round 22, 667th overall, CF Kurtis Muller: Muller led Iowa in hitting as a junior this season, posting a .381 average. The 5-foot-10 center fielder was a freshman All-American in 2008.

Round 23, 697th overall, RHP Randy Fontanez: The junior right-hander has started 41 games in three years for South Florida. This season, he went 5-7 with a 3.59 ERA and struck out 105 batters in 110 1/3 innings. His previous high in strikeouts was 58 as a freshman.

Round 24, 727th overall, RHP Patrick Doyle: Doyle spent his first few years at Missouri State as a reliever before becoming a starter late in his junior season. As a senior, he started 15 games and went 5-9 with a 4.18 ERA.

Round 25, 757th overall, RHP Daniel Renken: Named a third-team All-American at Cal State Fullerton as a sophomore, Renken was selected in the 35th round of the 2007 Draft by the Rockies but did not sign. As a junior this season, he has started 16 games and is 12-2 with a 3.95 ERA for a Titans squad that is still alive in the NCAA tournament.

Round 26, 787th overall, LHP Ty Stuckey: Stuckey just finished his junior season at the University of Houston, where he started four games and appeared in 13 others out of the bullpen. The left-hander struck out 31 batters in 28 innings and posted a 5.46 ERA.

Round 27, 817th overall, LHP Joel Bender: A product of Cincinnati's Oak Hills High School, Bender has signed to play college ball at the University of Louisville and has had his fastball clocked in the low 90s.

Round 28, 847th overall, RHP Chad Rogers: Rogers started 12 games for Galveston College as a junior this season, compiling a 6-4 record with a 3.04 ERA. Rogers spent his first two years of college pitching for Richland College.

Round 29, 877th overall, 3B Adam Muenster: Drafted as a third baseman, Muenster began his career at Kansas State as an outfielder. He batted .381 and stole 26 bases for the Wildcats as a senior.

Round 30, 907th overall, RHP Bradley Hendrix: As a junior at Auburn, Hendrix made 22 relief appearances and went 4-2 with a 5.35 ERA. His father, Brad, had stints in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers.

The Draft will conclude Wednesday with rounds 31-50.

Matt Brown is an associate reporter for MLB.com This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.